Just a little bump to the top of the forum...
Just moved from a popper to a Corretto roaster
LINK... Batch size in the Corretto (a.k.a. HG/BM) is MIND NUMBING in comparison to the popper. Going from 4 oz roasts to 1.5 lbs is like night and day.
Here's what it cost me to get up and running...
Heat gun, $29.99 at Harbor Freight Tools (heat gun has 12 different settings!).
Microphone stand to hold heat gun ~$22.00 at Radio Shack (I'm sure it can be done for MUCH CHEAPER on line).
K-Type thermometer $24.99 online.
Bread machine was $7.00 flat at Goodwill
The first batch I roasted used just the heat gun and the bread machine. I used my ears and nose to monitor the roast, while holding the heat gun over the beans until City/City+... Total cost of the first batch was $36.99 + beans
Rewiring the bread machine so that it runs the 'dough' cycle ONLY is a must. My first batch came dangerously close to a failure after the bread machine's thermostat shut down the unit. Plus, if you run out of time on the dough cycle and your roast isn't complete, you better be happy with it!
Pros:
Cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap
Full control over roast (roast too fast? move gun back...)
Did I say 1 - 1.5 lbs batches?
Cons:
ZERO chaff containment. It's like a chaff fountain when I roast. I have a shop vac on hand for clean up
Small batches would be difficult